Hi everyone
I got given three rhubarb in pots for Christmas. They are different varieties Glanville Perpetual, Victoria and one other which lost its label. They are all starting to sprout a little crown.
In November I thoroughly mulched beds with organic matter and also planted green manure.
I assume the compost mulched beds would be the best siting, but what kind of spacing should I give my Three Musketeers - and would planting now that they've broken dormancy kill them? Any help, gratefully received. Thanks.
Caro
Hello there...get them into ground as soon as you are able..the earlier the better..and space wise, well how much room have you got? More space between plants and you get away with much less frequent splitting and re-planting.
I had some planted about metre apart and I took them out last year as they were grown all together like a hedge :o But it took good 10yrs for them to do it. And what monster plants they were. Every year they were throwing stalks almost as thick as my wrist :o
To keep plants going on for years in same spot they do need some TLC though..I used to 'bury' them under all sort..old compost, chicken manure/bedding, leaves, straw, grass clippings....
Don't worry about killing them..they are really really tought things..as long as you keep them well watered the first year they'll normally look after themself otherwise ;)
Correct me anyone but if you are planting new crowns, let them grow this year but do not pick any. Let them die back in the Autumn and enjoy the following year.
Grant
If they are like mine, they will look like pathetic little plants in the first year, looks like they will not make it, but then next year grow into strong vigorous plants.
Yes Grant..that's about it..depending how your crown puts growth on the second year.
When I transplanted my 'new' crowns they were quite good size anyway and did put plenty of growth on they first year, I did harvers odd stalk from each plant and it didn't do any harm. But I always make sure there is several good size leaves/stalks left after pulling so the plant keeps feeding the rootball.
I don't harvest any stalks afted mid summer and come late autumn when the stalks are starting to die back I just bend them over the crown for winter protection and leave them to rot off. More stalks/leaves you leave to die off naturally better/stronger you crown will become in long run ;)
QuoteCorrect me anyone but if you are planting new crowns, let them grow this year but do not pick any. Let them die back in the Autumn and enjoy the following year.
I don't entirely go along with this statement although I understand where the people who advocate it are coming from.
Yet in a couple of months time, even after reading the opinions to this thread, we will get a batch of queries asking just that.....can I take stalks from my first year plants? (or to that affect)
IMHO
It has to be said; some varieties in there first year are more prolific than others.
Plants need leaves to photosynthesise and this is needed to plump up the plants so to remove the stalks/leaves defeats this purpose! and to a point I agree!
But I look at it this way;
Even with mature plants you never remove ALL the stalks/ leaves ( or shouldn't do) as some are needed to prepare the plant/s for the following years crop.
So why can't a few stalks be taken from new plants? say 25-30% and leave the remainder to feed the young plant for the following year.
as I said this is my humble opinion!
Tee Gee..I do agree with your opinion. But I think that statement is taught to insure that new plants have fair chance to establishing themselves ::)
I've seen so many times rhubarb crowns sold in nurseries looking so weedy that to get them ever doing decent stalks is miracle ::)
Tee Gee would that be Rhubarb Humble. :-X ;D ;D ;D ;)
and custard ::) 8) ;)
Rhubarb is very hard to kill, though waterlogging drowned a couple of my clumps two years ago. The few bits that survived are developing nicely though. I planted mine four feet apart, but they're massive clumps.